Makers for Fashion Revolution Week

Hi everybody!

picture from inthefolds.com

Have you heard about Fashion Revolution Week? I hope you have! I'm taking part in a small way for the first time this year, so it's new to me too. What is this thing then? Fashion Revolution is, according to their website: 

"a global movement calling

for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry.

We want to unite the fashion industry and ignite a revolution to radically change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, so that what the world wears has been made in a safe, clean and fair way.

Fashion Revolution Week is our #whomademyclothes campaign in April, which happens at the time of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, where 1,138 people were killed and many more injured on 24th April 2013.

We use this week to encourage millions of people to ask brands ‘Who made my clothes’ and demand greater transparency in the fashion supply chain."

This is such an important cause, but it's a difficult one. I have been actively aware of this issue for a couple of years now, but only recently have I been made aware of how all of this is important when making my own clothes too. The impact on the people and the environment is real when you are buying yarn and fabric too, not just clothes. 

What are Makers for Fashion Revolution then? Emily from In the Folds (@inthefolds) is hosting an Instagram photo challenge for the duration of Fashion Revolution Week, 24-30 April. She's doing so in the hope that this will spread the word about this important cause, and maybe encourage more people to take up sewing. By using #makersforfashrev, #FashRev and #whomademyclothes on Instagram we can all find each other. You can find me on Instagram @nillapurplepleats.

Is this an issue that is near and dear to your heart? Are you going to participate in Fashion Revolution Week?

Ps. I'm sorry about the different fonts and other inconsistencies, Blogger wouldn't play nice and kept changing them.

Grey for Spring

These pants may not seem particularly exciting, what with the grey color and all, but they are very special to me. These, my friends, are my first pair of skinny pants that fit!

The pattern is #103 from Burdastyle 7/2010. My game plan was to make a TNT out of this pattern, if at all possible, so I started out with a seam allowance of 2 cm all around so that I could let them out if needed.

Crotch curves are my enemy, but I think I did okay this time. Luckily the back curve was fine as drafted, so I only needed to tinker with the front. I also took the pants in quite a bit in the back leg from about mid thigh and down. The fabric is a cotton sateen that stretches out with wear, which of course annoys me. This is just a matter of fabric choice though. And it really catches the light and shows aaaaaall the wrinkles!

All in all I'm very pleased with these. I transferred all the fit changes to the pattern pieces for future pants, and I have already made a second pair. I find pants fitting very difficult, and it's quite challenging to figure out where to make changes. One thing that bugs me is the front rise, I cannot decide whether to take out a horizontal wedge in the front tapering to nothing at the side seam. Do you have any thoughts?

Like I said, I have already made a second pair using this pattern, so this is a win in my book! I had plans to make a third and a fourth pair, but I didn't have enough fabric. Damn you too narrow remnant pieces!

Are you taking part in the Tanks, Tops & Tees Knit Along hosted by Very Shannon? I am!  I'm looking forward to adding another top into rotation, since I like the first one I made so much.